Many property owners have sought to conceal unsightly utility installations, such as water well heads, septic vent stacks, telephone junction boxes, and buried gas tank hatches. Existing concealment devices, such as plantings, planters, and well houses have provided only partial or seasonal concealment of the utility installations. Such existing concealment devices are also not sufficiently weatherproof and are susceptible to damage caused by sun, rain, ice, and wind. Other concealment devices, such as well houses, are large heavy structures that are difficult to install and remove and could also present a hazard individuals nearby.
A device is needed that will adequately conceal utility installations in all seasons while providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance that blends with the natural surroundings. A concealment device is also needed that is structurally sound and weather resistant to withstand sun, rain, snow, ice and wind while being sufficiently light weight to be easily installed and moved. Furthermore, a concealment device is needed that can be made with various different shapes and surface ornamentation's. Additionally, there is also a need for lightweight outdoor decorative objects such as posts, birdbaths, etc., that are aesthetically pleasing, yet can be purchased, moved and installed by a typical homeowner, without need for a heavy duty truck or similar delivery vehicle or heavy installation equipment.
Cementitious compositions are commonly used to form structures and articles in the building industry. Although cementitious compositions, such as concrete or cementitious compositions including other aggregates, are desirable in terms of price and weather resistance, the use of cementitious compositions to form a decorative article or a concealment device for covering utility installations presents a number of other problems related to the physical characteristics of the material and the methods of using the material.
Using concrete, for example, to form a generally hollow article for covering utility installations results in an article that is heavy and difficult to install or move. To minimize the weight of a hollow article made from concrete, the thickness of the walls of the article would have to be dangerously thin, thereby sacrificing the structural integrity of the article. Molding structures or articles from concrete is also labor intensive. Concrete is thus difficult to form into a lightweight article having various decorative shapes and does not provide a decorative surface texture or appearance.
Lightweight cementitious compositions including perlite, a siliceous volcanic rock which has been expanded by heating, have been used in the building construction field as a lightweight insulating concrete for roof decks, floor systems, sound/firewalls, and other insulating applications. However, the prior art does not disclose the use of a lightweight cementitious composition to cast a hollow, decorative article with various shapes and surface textures. Typical perlite concrete compositions also do not provide sufficient strength and weatherability.
Accordingly, a need exists for a hollow, decorative article that is made from a cementitious composition and is lightweight, easily installable, weather-resistant, easily molded to a desired shape, for example a shape that conceals a utility installation, and has a decorative shape and surface texture. A need also exists for a method of making such an article from a lightweight cementitious composition by casting the article with various shapes, surface textures and other decorative features.